Hi, everyone! I'm new to the vegetarian world and still experimenting at this point. Wondering if anyone is familiar with Miso. Yesterday I followed the recipe in the Moosewood Cookbook and it was extremely salty. Sooooooooo salty, in fact, that I couldn't eat it. I just picked out the yummy steamed carrots and tofu that I had added and dumped it down the drain, which made me sad. I put in the 1 Tablespoon of miso that the recipe called for, so I'm thinking maybe I should try again and just use a Teaspoon. Dunno. I'm scared because it can't be good for you to eat that much SALT, but I've heard Miso is good for you. I'm pretty cornfused, so any input from others more experienced would be greatly appreciated.
miso IS salty. The instant dehydrated kind I keep at work suggests 1 teaspoon miso "flakes" and 1 tsp red star veggie support nutritional yeast to cut down on sodium. whatever, don't add soy sauce of salt to miso, ever.
I LOVE miso! I use a veggie broth as a base and whisk in a TB or 2, don't boil it! Ever! I drink miso soup constantly. Miso is so good for you because of the natural biotics it contains. These are living organisms, like in yogurt which help to promote beneficial bacteria in your digestive system. I am a vegan, because it's better for you. If one is a vegan for moral reasons, one would think that miso is not for you. It does contain live culture. I've seen recipes, especially for fish, that are encrusted with baked miso paste. That sounds really gross to me.
Haha. That reminds me of something my very clueless roommate told me, while he was trying to convince me to eat yogurt. "Why don't you eat yogurt? Its not like the bacteria culture is going to feel anything..." Uhh, yogurt is dairy... Back on topic... The saltiness of Miso can depend on the type of miso. I generally find the lighter coloured misos are saltier than the darker kinds. jessibear check out VegWeb for some good recipes.
I eat miso for breakfast just about evryday! I use organic red miso and I have experimented to find the exact amount I like. I usually eat it with soba (japanese buckwheat noodles) and wakame (a form of seaweed). This morning I used leftover takeout rice and wakame and green onion. YUMMY! It's so easy to make too! Don't ever put it down the drain! Dilute it and save some for later! P.S. I don't worry about eating microorganisms, but some vegans, Jains for instance, do! They won't even eat a potato bc of the microorganisms living on the skin from the dirt the potato grew in!
I cook a lot and what I think the best thing to remember is- taste it! Taste as you go. Also, remember you cannot take away an ingredient but you can always add more. Also, throw a potato in next time something is salty. Supposedly that will absorb some of the salt. And when using miso, remember to dissolve it in water before adding it to the stock, since it sticks together and doesn't dissolve like bullion cubes.
potatoes absorb actual salt, I'm not sure about sodium in the ingredient itself, but to try, toss in a raw chunk, let sit a minute or two and pull out.
